


The Florist and the Nurse

by Insomniacghostie



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, Slow Burn, tooth rotting sweetness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-05-03 07:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14564121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insomniacghostie/pseuds/Insomniacghostie
Summary: Elli is a nurse in a small town. Cam is a florist in an even smaller village. By chance, they meet and a deep friendship and possibly more begins to develop.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally on Fanfiction.net, and I started writing it when I was in college after a roleplay group I was in inspired me. I'm finally going to finish it after all these years....!

Times had been hard on Elli. Her grandmother, Ellen, had started to get sick recently, and though Doctor Trent was very helpful and kind, there was only so much that could be done. Currently, Ellen was occupying the one bed the clinic had. Despite living so close by, Trent wanted to be completely aware of every turn in Ellen's health.

Elli peaked into the sanctioned off room and saw Ellen asleep, her knitting still on her lap. She smiled softly, but sadly, and gently moved her needles and yarn to the end table. It was difficult to see the woman who practically raised her in such a way, but knew that lives weren't infinite.

Elli shook her head, determined not to feel down about the situation. She had to still have hope. She went back to her desk and started to brainstorm on ways she could help improve the depressed atmosphere of late. She leaned onto her elbow, and it slid on a piece of paper. Curious, Elli examined the sheet. It was an advertisement for a flower delivery service out of Bluebell, a town a ferry ride away.

Ellen had always had a soft spot for daffodils, and if Elli could recall correctly, those bright yellow flowers were in season. A bright bouquet would make a cheery addition to the entirely white clinic, and might improve Ellen's mood- and health.

After checking to see that her grandmother was still sleeping, Elli dialed the number on the flyer for Cam's Flowers. Ever nervous about using the phone, Elli meekly waited as it rang... and rang... and continued to ring. She was wondering if she had dialed the right number when it suddenly picked up. There was a moment of shuffling before a curt voice snapped at her.

"What is it?" the rude man over the phone brusquely asked, and Elli froze for a second, suddenly becoming mouse-like with nerves.

"O-oh... Isn't this Cam's Flowers...? I was wanting to place an order, if that was okay..." she asked, internally chastising herself for letting herself be so nervous when she's the customer.

"... hold on a moment," Cam replied, and Elli heard him set down the phone. She played with her short hair, a habit from when it was much longer. He picked back up the phone, and she heard an exasperated sigh.

"What do you want?" he snapped again, and Elli was getting fed up with his rudeness. She huffed, her nervousness replaced by irritation.

"What I WANT is for you to be a bit more polite to your customers! I DID want an order of daffodils... but maybe I should find a florist who wants my business!" Elli snapped right back at Cam. A stunned silence filled the phone.

"... So daffodils. Alright. Where am I delivering? And to whom?" Cam asked, ignoring Elli's comments about his rudeness. Elli huffed, very peeved but unsure if there were any other florists willing to deliver as far out as Mineral Town.  
"The flowers are for Ellen in Mineral Town. From Elli and Stu," she said, trying to mimic his curtness. There was a moment of silence, and she assumed he was writing it down.

"Okay. I'll be there tomorrow," Cam said, and ended the conversation by hanging up. Elli stared at the phone, exasperated and not looking forward to meeting the rude florist in person, but happy at the thought of cheering up her grandmother with flowers.

With her surprise planned, Elli was able to whistle while she worked. Her cheer wasn't unnoticed. Trent had noticed that his normally cheerful nurse had grown depressed since Ellen had to be admitted for full-time care, but was glad to see her smile had returned.

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but why the change in mood?" he asked when going over medical journals at the end of the day. Elli smiled at him, raising a finger to her lips in a sign of secrecy.

"I can't tell you, you'll spoil the surprise. Something good is going to happen tomorrow. That's all I can tell you," she explained, and no matter how he tried, Trent couldn't get her to spill any more about it.

That night, Elli went to sleep with a smile on her face for the first time in weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Cam arrived at Mineral Town in a grouchy mood. The phone call the day before had woken him up, and in his grumpy morning ways he had been very rude and even hung up before he could find which building he needed to go to. He still felt regret over the mean way he had handled himself over the phone, but it seemed the person who had ordered the flowers could snap right back, he recalled.

He found himself sitting on a bench between a clinic and a small market, not sure where to go. He hadn't seen many people out and about on his way there, and wasn't used to Mineral Town at all. In fact, it was his first trip there. The bright yellow daffodils he was delivering sat beside him in a soft blue vase, creating a sharp contrast to the grumpy Cam.

He hadn't expected the customer he was seeking to walk out of the clinic and almost right by him. Elli was going home to make some lunch for Ellen and herself when yellow caught her eye.

"Oh, you must be Cam," she said, approaching the purple-clad florist. He looked up at her, frowning. He'd never seen a nurse's outfit look so old fashioned! Weren't they supposed to wear scrubs? She looked at him with scrutiny. He could be handsome if he wasn't such a grouch, she thought to herself.

"Elli, then? Here are your flowers," Cam said, standing and handing Elli the vase. She took the flowers and awkwardly shuffled her feet.

"Here, come to my house right quick. I need to get my money to pay you, and to write out the card," she asked, and led him a few buildings over to her small home. Cam quietly followed after giving her a small nod. The house was indeed small, he realized when they got inside. Elli sat the flowers on the counter and went to a dresser to get her money, leaving Cam to glance around. It seemed to be the one room, with the only other door assumed to be the bathroom. He counted three beds, all single, and wondered if Elli was either younger than she looked, or had a very boring marriage.

"Here you go," Elli said, handing Cam the amount of Gold the flyer had stated. He pocketed the money and gave her a tip of the hat.

"Thank you," he said, and she smiled brightly, to which Cam raised a brow.

"You do know manners? Fantastic! I was afraid that everyone in Bluebell would be so rude," she said, sounding genuine. Cam gave Elli an almost dirty look before she laughed and patted his arm.

"I'm just kidding. I figure it was just a bad day. No one can run a business with an attitude like that. Well, maybe Saibara..." she trailed off, thinking to herself before smiling once again at Cam.

"Do you have any more deliveries here to make?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"No, this was my only delivery today," he said, embarrassed to have such low business. However, Elli didn't seem to notice or mind.

"So then, would you like to stay for lunch? It's home made, and it might cheer you up!" she said. He was starting to think she was as bright in personality as the flowers she had ordered. He smiled for the first time that day. A homemade lunch did sound very appealing, and the ferry back home wouldn't be running again for a while... After a moment of thought Cam nodded and tipped his hat before murmuring that he would be delighted to. Her cheer was easy to catch.

Soon, a hot lunch was on the table, and Cam was surprised when instead of sitting down to eat, Elli headed for the door.

"I have to take lunch to my grandmother first. Do you mind?" she asked as she hovered by the door. Cam shook his head; how could he mind? He got up and followed Elli, carrying the flowers he had delivered for her. She went down to the clinic and Cam followed her in. A tall, dark haired man walked around from a room sanctioned off by curtains and immediately smiled when he saw Elli, which became a smile of knowing when he saw the bright yellow flowers in Cam's arms.

"I take it this was the surprise?" he asked, voice hushed. Elli nodded with joy before remembering her manners.

"Oh! Doctor, this is Cam. He's a florist!" She introduced Cam to the Doctor. The two regarded each other for a moment before nodding.

"Florist? Horticulture is a fascinating field. I'm an amateur myself, but it's admirable. You should stop by the library while you're here. Mary's father writes about the local flora," Doctor Trent suggested with a grin, to which Cam just nodded again. He felt so awkward and out of place now, wondering if his initial assumption that Elli had a husband was correct, and it was this Doctor. He just shuffled his feet. It wasn't any of his business anyways.

Elli took the flowers from Cam and went into the sanctioned off room with a bag of lunch. Cam chose not to follow her this time, and could hear an old woman's happy regard for Elli's kindness. He allowed himself to feel the warmth from it. It was nice to see happy families.

"We're a little far out for delivering flowers, aren't we?" Doctor Trent asked Cam, snapping him from his reverie. He couldn't help but feel that the Doctor's tone had gotten a little bit chilled.

"I suppose so, but who else will do it? I just want people to have nice flowers," Cam replied, looking at the curtain as if he could see through it.

"I see. Enjoy your stay," the Doctor said, and walked back into what Cam assumed was his office. What an odd guy, he thought.

Elli came back around to the front shortly after the Doctor left, still smiling.  
"Are you ready for lunch?" she asked, to which Cam nodded.

As they left for Elli's house, Cam couldn't shake the feeling that the Doctor didn't like him. But what did he care anyways.


End file.
